Construction on $1.4 million tunnel could begin by spring

By John Aguilar For Hometown Weekly

Posted:
12/19/2012 02:02:14 PM MST

McCaslin Boulevard underpass.

One of the most anticipated capital improvement projects in the city -- a $1.4 million pedestrian and bicycle tunnel under McCaslin Boulevard between Davidson Mesa and Harper Lake -- is taking sharper form.

Most notable in the plans laid out by Loris and Associates is a circular parking area on the west side of McCaslin that would replace the cramped lot that is there now. One entrance from the lot would lead to the dog park, while another access point would take hikers and cyclists straight on to the mesa.

Diana Trettin, the city's capital improvement project manager, said the parking lot at the popular trailhead would be easier to use and slightly more capacious.

"This gives much more structured parking and more spaces for people going to Davidson Mesa," Trettin said.

At the same time, she said, the parking lot on the Harper Lake side would become more "aesthetically pleasing" than what is there now, with more attractive landscaping and a clear path from Washington Street leading to the tunnel.

The underpass, at about 110 feet long, could break ground this spring and be completed by summer. A presentation on the advanced design plans to the Louisville City Council hadn't begun by 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18.

How soon the project is built will depend on what the contractors are allowed to do with McCaslin Boulevard during construction. Several options are being pitched to the City Council, including closing the busy thoroughfare for anywhere from one week to three months to install a precast concrete structure or a cast-in-place structure under the road.

There's also an option on the table to restrict traffic flow on McCaslin Boulevard in each direction to one lane, though that would mean the project's timeline would be extended to up to half a year.

"If we close McCaslin, it will go faster," Trettin said. "And if we don't, it will take longer."

But she acknowledged that fully closing a regional artery like McCaslin probably wouldn't find favor with the City Council.

Louisville Planning Director Troy Russ said whatever timeline is finally chosen by the council, he is pleased to see the project moving forward -- now at the 50 percent design stage -- after years of hand-wringing over the danger pedestrians and cyclists face trying to cross seven lanes of traffic on McCaslin.

The city launched a public input process last year, presenting various options for the crossing, ranging from a flashing walk signal to an underpass to a roundabout. The underpass quickly became the preferred alternative.

"I think this underpass and the underpass downtown (at South Street) have been one of the top trail requests in the last five years," Russ said.

John Rommelfanger, who has lived a stone's throw from Harper Lake for two decades, said he favored a traffic signal as a less expensive alternative to an underpass but is happy that the city is proceeding with some kind of solution to an ongoing problem.

"I just need them to do something to make it safer for people crossing the street," he said. "Something needs to be done before someone gets killed there."